Losses and Sacrifices
by Usagi Elric
Summary: After an experiment concerning the homunculi, Serena is left devostated, and wanting revenge. she swears to kill anyone who gets in her way. but if Ed, Al and Ree get in her way, would she really hurt them too? EdxOC AlxOC
1. Chapter 1

Losses and Sacrifices  
Chapter 1-Prologue

"LET HER GO DAMMIT!" Al screamed as the dust from their scuffle cleared and he could see how the situation had played out. He struggled to get free of Greed's hold but his grip was like iron bars. Envy was sitting on her stomach; his hand around her face, trying to force feed her the philosopher's stone mixture.  
"Not likely" chuckled the homunculus as he poured it down her throat. She gagged a couple of times but when she had it all in her mouth, he clamped his hand over it and held her nose so she couldn't do anything but swallow.

"ARGH!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs, because the poisonous stones where eating away at her insides. "C'mon, absorb it already, before it kills you." Envy said as he stood up and off of her, seemingly unfazed by what was happening before his eyes. She arched her back so far, hard and fast that there was a series of cracks.  
"SERENA!" Al wretched himself free and broke into a sprint, trying to make it to her in time. Envy took a couple of steps back, and Al fell to his knees at her side. He clapped his hands and placed them on her shoulders. He screwed his eyes shut and shielded his face from the sudden flash of alchemic light that shone from her. She crumpled to the ground, completely motionless. Al pulled her onto his lap; pushed her bangs from her eyes, with tears streaking tracks down his dirt smudged face.

"S-Serena?" he said weakly. Her eyes bolted open; the cat-like pupils narrowed from fear and the unexpected light. "Close, but not quite." She said. He could hear it in her voice, this was his Serena, but there was something wrong. There was an animalistic tone to it, an edge that reminded him of bloodlust. Then he started to notice the changes; her skin was pale and cold, her eyes were violet.  
And her stomach was flat.

**AN/ okay…so this is starting to annoy the hell out of me! So, this is the prologue or whatever, I just refer to it as the teaser trailer before the movie. Pain's whole homunculus…stuff idea goes to Sikobi-Oturo. You should read their fic, I Am Pride! Its awesomely epic! Anyways…this is my first fic that's relatively worth reading. I did have others…but…no-one read them so I deleted them. Please review! Pretty please? Or I might die, and you won't know what happens.**


	2. Chapter 2

Soft light filtered in through the partially drawn curtains, as Serena's consciousness slowly drifted to the surface. She rolled onto her side, and put her arm out to reach for the familiar warmth of her beloved husband, but to her surprise, all she felt was cold bed. Which she found odd, since she always woke up first. She untangled herself from the blanket, '_it must have been that nightmare…_' she thought, thinking that's why she was so wrapped up. She walked out of their room, down the hallway to the kitchen to see Al in the military blue pants and the tight-fitting black top, a towel hanging over his shoulder drying his hair. '_I must have slept in for a while, if he's already had a shower._'

"Hey Honey, you're up late. What'd you do, stay up all night?" he said with a humorous tone in his voice. "No, you know I didn't, I was asleep before you, idiot. And don't mock me!" she replied grouchily. "Okay okay, sorry." He gave her an odd look. "Need coffee? I made some a while ago, so you'll have to boil the water again."

She contemplated having a coffee, she really needed it, and some breakfast. But at the thought of food, a wave of nausea enveloped her. "I…" her face turned pale, and she dashed off down the hallway again, this time taking the door on the right. "Serena?" cried Al, and he chased after her. He found her kneeling over the toilet, puking violently. He rushed to her side, and held her hair out of her face. Once she was finished, she shuffled over to the sink and rinsed her mouth out about five times, and brushed her teeth as many. All the while, Al clung to her worriedly, like a little child, not letting go of her sleeve and keeping his hand on her back. Finally he asked, "Are you alright? Are you sick?" she looked at the expression on his face, he almost looked scared. And she knew why; when his mom Trisha was sick, she would sometimes just randomly throw up. She had reminded him of his mother, and dragged up all the painful memories.

She smiled and said gently, "I'm fine Al, I just feel a little sick in my stomach, I probably just ate something bad last night, that's all." His expression softened, and you could see his whole body relax. "You could stay home today if you want. Miss Riza will understand."  
"It's not her that I'm worried about, it's Mustang. He'll have a fit if I skip out on work. Honestly, Riza says he just cares about us, but I'm not sure if he's parental or just abusing the fact that he can order us around."  
"I'm sure he means well. He does feel bad when we get hurt." He said in a defensive kind of tone. She leant against the sink. "No, he _seems_ to feel bad. He's probably just disappointed that he couldn't do it himself." "but-" she cut him off after looking at the clock. "Jeez, Al we're gonna be late!"

Rushing up the stairs that led to Central HQ with half a piece of toast in her mouth, Serena had the sick feeling in her stomach again. "Ugh…" she groaned, and wrapped one arm around her middle, but let go so she could continue trying to do her hair. '_Heheh, master of multitasking_.' She thought smugly once it had passed. She landed on the top step one second just before Al did; she ate the last bite of toast, jumped in the air and exclaimed victoriously, "HAHA! Beat you again!"

Al was bent over, huffing, out of breath, but soon was breathing normally. He stood up straight, stared at her and smiled lovingly. "You always do. Hmf, you've got crumbs on your face." She blushed and went to brush them away, but he reached out and bet her to it. He lent in, put one hand behind her head and one hand around her waist, pulled her closer and kissed her gently. A tingly sensation filled her inside, and she ran a hand through his hair, kissing him more fiercely. No matter how long they had been together, this would never fade; he always made her feel like the entire world just fell away when he kissed her.

"Ahem." A person behind them cleared their throat. They immediately parted but intertwined hands behind their backs, blushing to an even deeper pink. She wiped her mouth and licked her lips clean. '_Yummy…He…*_blush_* he's wearing vanilla lip balm…_' They turned and saw Ed, with Ree a step behind him. "What, don't you do enough of that at home?" asked Ed, eyeing Serena annoyingly. She and Al blushed harder and Serena said defensively, "Shut it BLONDE! Don't make me call you a midget…" Her voice trailed off when yet more nausea hit her. "Don't you da-ah!" he cried, when she shoved him towards the door. "C'mon, we're late enough already." She said, trying to shut him up.

They stopped at the front desk and punched their timecards, then went down the hallway to the right, making turns every now and then. Finally, they made it to the Colonel's office. Al knocked on the door, and opened it, holding it for the others. They assembled in a line in front of his desk, just like they did every morning.  
"Morning Colonel Mustang" said Al and Kiree.

"You're late." He said, not even bothering to look up from his work.  
"We slept in sir." Said Al politely. "That's barely an excuse. Maybe you should get an alarm clock. Or maybe a bedtime." "Shut it or I'll steal those damn gloves of yours and burn you in a place that men REALLY don't want to be burned." Serena said, sounding serious. Today, feeling how she was, she would do it. Roy finally looked up, gaping at her for a few seconds. He swallowed then sat up straight and composed himself with a deep breath. "Watch your tongue. You know better than to talk to a superior officer like that." He said stiffly, Serena just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Ed, Al and Ree all stared at her. Ree went to grab her sleeve, and ask if she was alright, but Serena jerked away.

"Hmf, superiority complex much, Pyro? What's wrong, not enough sleep? Oh that's right; you were up all night with your new girlfriend, weren't you? Where did you find this one, your usual corner? That's where you probably find all your other whores!" He slammed his fists down on his desk and everyone jumped. "OUTSIDE!" he stood up so fast, he nearly toppled over the chair and sent his paperwork flying over the desk, and swung his arm around to point at the door. "NOW! I'll deal with you when I'm done here!" he shouted. "Go screw yourself colonel BASTARD! I'm sick of your shit!" she shouted back, and stormed out of the room and slammed the door, but it swung back open again, just as she disappeared back down the hallway.

Riza walked up from her desk at the other end of the room. "Sir-" Roy cut her off with a sharp tone in his voice. "not now, lieutenant." He said while he gathered up his scattered paper. "I was going to ask if I may go look for Lieutenant Colonel Elric, _Sir._" She said harshly. He paused and looked up at her, put his chair back in place and sat back down. "*sigh* if you really are that concerned about her, you may go look." As Riza walked away, he realised why she sounded so harsh. "Riza!" he said trying to catch her in time. She paused in the doorway, and turned to look coldly at him. "I was home alone last night…*blush* just so you know." He looked down, and her expression softened, she smiled gently. She was going to say 'good.' but then remembered that other people were there and returned to her usual formal tone. "I don't see how that's relevant sir." And walked out. He went back to debriefing the other three. Fuery, Havoc, Falman and Breda went back to work as well.

Trying to get away from that horrible office, everything went blurry as Serena's eyes stung with tears. She scrubbed them away with the sleeve of her blue military jacket. She hated the military, and hated wearing the uniform; she only worked there because Al, Ree and Ed did. She turned into the uni-sex bathroom, stripped off the blue jacket and ditched it at the ground like it was worth nothing to her. She went into one of the dry showers, and sat on the little shelf against the wall. Serena knew that they cleaned the showers every couple of hours, so she didn't worry about it being dirty. She didn't like co-ed anything, she thought they knew that and wouldn't look there for her. '_That's if they care enough to look…_' she thought dismally.

But for the third time in four months, there was maintenance being done on the girl's bathroom. So after half an hour of looking everywhere else, Riza looked anyway. Serena heard the door open and clamped a hand over her mouth, and then heard the rustle of fabric. Riza looked at the shoulders, '_Four stripes, two stars…it looks about the right size…this is her jacket._' she thought. Serena heard the door close; the last of her self-control depleted trying to keep quiet for even that short time, buried her face in her arms and went back to crying.

Riza rushed to find the other Elrics; in that state, Serena wouldn't listen to anyone but them. She found them walking out of Mustang's office. "Finally!" said Ree, then she spotted Riza. "Riza!" and saw that she was holding Serena's jacket "Did you find her?" she nodded, and said "She's this way, c'mon." She beckoned for them to follow her.

They followed her to where Serena was hiding out. They walked in quietly, Ree first. She opened the stall that the noise was coming from. She stood in the doorway, Serena jumped a little when Ree touched her on the shoulder. She looked up at her, "R-Ree?" she said croakily. Ree leant closer to her and brushed her hair from her eyes. "What's wrong sis?" Serena's eyes teared up again, "I…I don't know…I just can't stop crying" she leaped into Ree's arms and cried harder. Ree muttered softly in Serena's ear "Shhh, don't cry sis…it's alright." Serena nodded and tried to dry her eyes and get her breathing back to normal. She stood up off the little bench and took a few steps out into the room but fell back down on her hands and knees. She puked on the floor, and everything went blurry, she fell over on her side, unconscious. Riza gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth, gripping Serena's jacket tighter."Serena?" exclaimed Ed and Ree, Al rushed to her and turned her onto her back and shook her by the shoulders, "Serena? Honey, wake up!" he said sounding panicky.

"WAKE UP!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Serena's P.O.V  
_I stand up with Ree's hand on my arm, and take a few steps out of the little stall I had occupied for over half an hour. I was about to look up to assure the others I was alright, but then everything spun. My legs give out on me, and I fall to my hands and knees and puke on the floor. My mind goes fuzzy and blurs over. I hear them all shout out my name; Al is loudest of them all, but my mind drifts off into the darkness, and my consciousness with it. _

Everyone else's P.O.V

Al was bent over Serena, shaking her and begging her to wake up. "Al." said Ree, but he didn't reply. "Al!" he still didn't reply. He started to shake as tears spilled down his cheeks. Ed placed a hand on his shoulder, "AL!"  
He jumped and looked up at his older brother. "We have to get her to the hospital!" Ed continued. Al nodded and dried his eyes. He put one hand behind her knees, one hand under her shoulders, and lifted her up as he stood. She wasn't much shorter than him but when he held her in his arms, it made her look tiny. "Riza, open the door!" said Ree as she clung to Al's side, barely taking her eyes off of her unconscious sister. Riza rushed to open the door as Al hurried over with Serena in his arms, and the determined look he gets when one of them is in danger. They rushed off back down the hallways, earning several stares and double-takes as they went.

In the front courtyard, they ran into Jean, who was on break and in the middle of lighting his second cigarette. He saw them and his mouth hung open a bit, almost dropping his smoke, but took it out of his mouth, tucked it behind his ear and put his lighter back in his pocket. He ran towards them, and lengthened his stride so he could walk along side of Riza. "Hey Hawkeye, what's wrong with Serena?" He asked, almost out of breath. "We don't know. That's why we're taking her to the hospital." She replied distractedly. "Well Alphonse looks about ready to bite someone's head off." He said almost humorously. Her eyebrows pinched as she considered that. "I know. He doesn't usually react like this. Not even when Edward or Kiree get hurt…" Jean nodded vaguely; he was considering his chances of his next question. "Say…Riza, would it be okay if I come?" "No Havoc, you're not getting out of work that easily. But you can sign us out on your way back inside. Now." She replied coldly, not even looking at him. "Damn…" he muttered under his breath, and stopped in his tracks. He watched as they strode off, shoved his hands in his pockets and headed off back towards HQ. 'Hope the kid's gonna be alright…' he thought, completely forgetting about his smoke.

Riza ran off ahead of them to get the car. She pulled up on the side of the road closest to them, and Ree opened the door and scooted over to the opposite side. Al leant in, put one knee on the seat and placed Serena's head on Ree's lap, lifted the rest of her body gently, and sat on the seat. Ed shut the door, and got into the front passenger's seat, with his younger brother sitting behind him. Not bothering to wait for them to buckle their seatbelts, Riza pushed the accelerator to the floor. Barely making the corners, she was doing just under the speed limit. Ree pushed Serena's hair from her face, and laid the back of her hand on her forehead. "Riza, she's got a fever! It feels like her skin is boiling!" She said panicky.

"I know, Kiree! I'm going as fast as I'm allowed to!" she said agitated. "It's not fast enough Hawkeye, flatten it!" Al growled through his teeth. "Alphonse! Calm down, Serena is gonna be fine! I know you're worried, but there's no need to speak to Riza like that!" scolded Ed. "I…you're right brother, I'm sorry Miss Hawkeye." "It's alright Alphonse, I'd probably act the same way if were Roy in trouble." Kiree continued to try and cool her sister down, her cheeks a dark pink from the heat.

They turned down a few more streets, and finally parked out front of the west side of the hospital. Al opened the door and took Serena out of the car. Kiree clambered out through his door, and slammed it shut after Ed held it open for her. She grabbed his hand, and they had to jog slightly to keep up with Alphonse's freaky long strides. He turned and pushed the door open with his back, thinking it would take too long to wait for one of the others to open it for him. The room was plain; the admin desk to the left as you enter the door, the rest of the room was plastic seats, bolted to the ground. He walked up to the front desk of the emergency department, and asked "I need a help, please, may we see a nurse?"

"Of course," said the office lady, smiling sweetly, and "right this way." She gestured to a door on the right, and they all went through it but Riza. "I need to get back to HQ and give everyone a rundown of what has happened. I'm sure they're all still wondering after Serena's…_performance_ earlier."  
"alright, we'll let you know once we know anything." Replied Kiree. Through the doors, a nurse rushed to meet them. She led them to a room on the side. She took the stethoscope off from around her neck and listened to Serena's breathing as Alphonse laid her down on a metal framed white bed. She placed it back over her neck and started bombarding them with questions, and Al answered every one.

"What has happened?" she asked strictly. "She was crying in a bathroom, she came out but fell to her knees, vomited on the floor then fell unconscious." "Has she had any recent head trauma?" "No." "Does she or her family have any history of mental illness?" "Her father had schizophrenia, but that's about it." "Has she displayed any other symptoms?" "She's been more irritable than normal, she yelled at me and a superior of ours, which she wouldn't usually do. She also vomited earlier this morning as well." The nurse fell silent and strapped a cuff around Serena's arm.

"What's that?" asked Kiree cautiously. "It's called a Sphygmomanometer. It measures blood pressure." The nurse repeated squeezed a ball that was attached to the cuff via a thin rubber tube until Serena's fingers twitched. She scribbled down some notes. Kiree peeked over the nurse's shoulder and read what was written, "Hypotension, blood pressure: 60 over 45…what does that mean? Is that good?" she asked. The nurse flattened the clipboard on her chest, to hide it from prying eyes. "Considering that people don't fall unconscious when in perfect health, the answer is no. We'll have to run some blood cultures to determine the cause of what's happened. She has a fever of 39.5 degrees, I shall return soon with some ice packs to try and bring down her temperature to a safer level. For now, I need someone to change her into the hospital garb. You'll find it in the cupboard, along with a bag for her clothes." She pulled a clean needle from a drawer and took it out of its packet. She slid the tip of the needle through the crook of Serena's elbow, and drew blood. She removed the needle, placed on the bedside table drawers, and immediately put a cotton ball over where the blood started to pour out. She taped it over, placed a cap over the tip of the needle, and left swiftly.

Al walked over to the cupboard and got the hospital clothes out, and the clear plastic square bag. "Ree, will you help me?" he asked quietly. "sure." She replied. "Ed do you just wanna wait outside?" she said, seeing the awkward look on his face. "Yes! I…I'll go…to the cafeteria!" he said, almost too enthusiastically. After he shut the door, Alphonse held her up by the shoulders while Ree took off her black shirt. They slipped the almost-white-green shirt over her head, and tied it at the corner. He then changed her pants as well. He shoved her clothes into the bag, but Ree took the bag off of him, took the clothes out, folded them and put them back in. "What's wrong with you Al, usually you'd fuss if it wasn't neat. I've never seen you so…I dunno, messed up. You don't usually react like this, what's got you so worked up?"

He looked at his wife, and thought how small she looked, the clothes were long enough, but they were baggy on her, making her look tiny and delicate. She was pale, except for the dark pink in her cheeks. "Well….Serena and I…we've…uh…n-nothing, never mind." "No, please, Al tell me!" she blurted. "I…I'll tell you later. After the doctors tell us what's going on."


	4. Chapter 4

Alphonse waited anxiously; fingers laced together hiding the lower half of his face, elbows resting on his knees, and eyebrows knitted together in a thoughtful, concerned cold glare at the floor. Edward was sitting against the wall on the floor, Kiree asleep, curled up on Ed, with her head resting on his chest. He played with her hair, weaving it through his fingers, freezing whenever she moved or mumbled. Al let out a small, agitated growl and stood up, pacing the length of the room several times in under half a minute.

"Al, will you relax already, she's gonna be fine." Ed said quietly. "You don't know that!" Al replied harshly, and stopped in his tracks. "What if she's really sick? What if she's sick like Mom?" he cried, tears stinging his eyes, threatening to spill over. Ed looked down, his bangs shadowing his face. "Al….what have I told you about bringing that up?" he growled. "B-Brother I….I'm sorry…I didn't mean to." Ree stirred in Ed's lap, she mumbled something in her sleep and rolled onto her other side. "Al be quiet, you're gonna wake her up." Al nodded sadly and walked over to Serena's bed. He pulled the chair closer and held her hand. She hadn't woken up yet, an hour and a half since they had arrived in the hospital. The nurses sedated her in case she had undergone any head trauma when she collapsed on the floor in HQ.

Another half an hour went past before the doctor walked in, holding a clipboard. Al bolted upright, and Ed shook Ree's shoulder until she woke up. She looked at him through blurry eyes and mumbled "hmmm…? Ed? What's going on?" he pointed to the doctor and she stood up quickly and offered her hand to help Ed up. "Well?" asked Ed as he stretched and dusted himself off. "What's wrong with her?" the doctor looked at his clipboard, and then walked to her bedside, unlocked a drawer, and took a needle out of it. He unwrapped it, and injected the contents into her arm. "What are you giving her?" Al asked worriedly. "Relax, that should bring her to. It's Naloxone, an antidote to the sedatives."

Serena awakened from her unconsciousness slowly, her eyelids fluttered open, and her sapphire blue eyes still looked dazed. "wh…what's…going on…?" the doctor pulled a flashlight out from the breast pocket of his bleach-white lab coat, and ran it in front of Serena's eyes. Hey pupils dilated accordingly, and so he clicked it off and put it back in the pocket.  
"Mrs Elric, what do you remember?" he asked." I remember waking up late, dashing to work…*blush* kissing Al…arguing with Colonel Bast—Mustang, crying, Ree taking me out of the stall, and then...just black…"

"We ran blood tests, and we've confirmed that's it is only a case of Pneumonia. But you shouldn't have gone to work, or even gotten out of bed. Surely you've noticed that you are sick?" she looked down and fiddled with the blanket. "I…I just thought it was a cold, and I could handle it, it's not like I've never had a cold before…" Al looked at the doctor, and asked "is it dangerous?" the doctor scribbled more notes down, and answered absently, "It won't do any harm to the mother…"

Serena gasped and Al squeezed her hand tighter. "m…mother…?" she asked weakly. The doctor looked away from his clipboard, at her, with a puzzled look on his face. "you didn't know? Mrs Elric…you're two months pregnant."


	5. Chapter 5

An odd feeling welled up inside Serena, along with several others, but it was one she didn't recognise. One feeling she did recognise though, was that she felt overwhelmed; the words of the doctor ran though her head over and over. She swallowed, trying to clear the lump that formed in the middle of her throat, so she could speak. A small, but excited smile slowly spread across Ree's face, and Ed just stood there, mouth gaping like an idiot.

*back at HQ*

Riza punched her timecard for the second time that day. She stalked back to Roy's office, wanting to confront him for earlier that day. She had watched over the Elrics since they were small children, and upsetting them didn't sit well with her. Finally she made it back to his office. She opened the door and walked over to stand in front of his desk, but he paid no attention to her, as if he didn't notice her. She cleared her throat, but still no reaction. Every second he ignored her was a bit more lividness grown. "Sir," she began.

"I know what you're going to say so don't bother. It isn't my fault she reacted the way she did, and so the following events are her own fault." he said bitterly. "Roy, they're only children!"  
"You know full well that they aren't children anymore, _Lieutenant, _they haven't been for a quite while now! They are adults, and the full weight of their actions falls on them now. They might have gotten away with quite a lot when they were younger. But now they no longer have a journey to go through with, they no longer have something that they have to accomplish! As you may recall, that all finished a few years ago, on a day I should hope you haven't forgotten! And so now they work for the Military for the same reason as the rest of us, to serve our country, not for personal gain any more."

"I will never forget that day, Sir, I don't think anyone here ever will. And although Edward and Alphonse may have accomplished what they set out for to an extent, it doesn't by any means mean that they aren't still living, and living for a reason. Anyway, back on topic, yes, what she said was out of line, but you can't honestly say you didn't notice that she isn't well today, and your retaliation was no more out of line than she was." She held firm, staying as formal as she could, and trying to hold onto her anger, so she could win this argument, but watching as his eyes portrayed his surrender to her logic, she couldn't help but smile a little. For she knew that no man could verse a woman's logic.

"Alright, Lieutenant, you win. Would it be alright if I visit her? Jean told me she was in the hospital."  
"Of course Sir, I can drive you if you like, I was going to head over myself; I only have to inform the others of this morning's events first." She said. "Oh, don't worry about that," he chuckled, "I'm sure Havoc has already spread the news to every being in HQ, if not all of Central." Riza turned and walked down to the other end of the extremely long room, where Jean Havoc, Vato Falman, Heymans Breda, and Kain Fuery were working on some paperwork. It was also where Riza herself usually worked. She cleared her throat, and they looked up at her with raised eyebrows.

"The Colonel and I are going to the hospital to check on the Elrics. You are to stay here and continue working, understood?" she said sternly. They all chanted at once, "yes Ma'Am." and nodded. Kain looked troubled by something, and it didn't go unnoticed by the Hawke's Eye. "Fuery? Is something the matter?"  
"when are _we_ allowed to see them, Riza?" seeing how worried he looked, she forgot to keep up the formalities. "Don't worry Kain, that's assuming they're still there, I'm sure they're fine, and will be on their way home soon. And if they aren't, you can visit them whenever you're free. Okay?" his face brightened, as if his worry and concern disappeared. She turned to jean and became stern again, "but you," she pointed at him, "will be staying here until _**all**_ of your paperwork is done." Jean groaned and slumped down with his head in his arms as Riza turned her back and walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

Riza walked back out of HQ _again_ and towards her car, which Roy was already sitting in, waiting. When she got close, he leaned across and opened the door for her. She thanked him and buckled her seatbelt. "Riza?" Roy said quietly. "Yes Roy?" She said distantly, putting the keys in the ignition. "Is this really my fault? Did I really put her in the hospital?" Riza paused for a moment, and then went back to concentrating on her driving. "No Roy, of course not. Who told you that? Was it Havoc? Cause I've been sick of him gossiping and spreading rumours lately, its beyond ridiculous, he—" "no, no it wasn't Jean. I just figured, we had a fight, and not an hour later she's in a freaking hospital bed…it seems every time they get hurt, I'm involved one way or another." He stared out the window, watching the road. It was only just going midday, but he already felt he had worked all day plus overtime. They rode in silence for the rest of the way to the hospital.

Riza parked out the front, and on the way inside, Roy notice that they were heading to the emergency department. Even more guilt welled up inside him, '_emergency? Is it that bad?"_ Roy followed Riza down the stark white hallway, all too familiar with the smell of bleach and hundreds of other cleaning products; they both remembered all the times they had been in here before; after the several incidents with Scar, after their run in with the homunculi in Lab 5, after the Promised Day. Riza started to think that she should keep them locked away. She laughed lightly, and Roy asked her what was so funny. She replied, "I was just thinking, the Elrics are in here too often, maybe we should just lock them away, so maybe they'd go at least a year without hurting themselves." Roy replied with a quiet "Hm." and went back to his thoughts.

They reached the administrative desk, and asked for The Elric's room, but the lady said with a smile, "Sorry, they've been moved. Are you family?" a confused look crossed Riza's face, but was gone as soon as it had come. "No, we're friends, where have they been moved?" the Admin Nurse typed quickly on her computer, and after a few seconds, looked back up at them. "They've been moved to room number 89 on the second floor, General Ward." Riza nodded and smiled at her, and Roy thanked her.

They reached Serena's room, just as the doctor walked out. "Excuse me, doctor? Can we see them?" asked Riza. The doctor looked up at her and smiled. "Sure my dear, but I just gave them the results, and by the looks of it, you'll be hard pressed to get a word out of them." He chuckled and walked off. Riza looked back at Roy with a puzzled look, but he just shrugged and gestured for her to go ahead. She opened the door, and what she saw was the last thing she expected. Serena had scooted over to allow room for Alphonse to lie next to her, and they were holding hands, her free arm resting on a small pillow as to accommodate the needle in her arm, connected to a drip. Ed was sitting in a chair next to the bed leaning over, his arms resting on his knees, talking to Al. Kiree sitting cross-legged at the end of the bed, gabbing away at Serena excitedly, not seeming to be taking any breaths.

Riza cleared her throat, and only Serena noticed. Ree just kept talking, as did Al and Ed. She smiled at them and said "Hey guys, come in. there's chairs by the window if you wanna sit down." She turned to Kiree and sighed, "Ree! I get it, you're excited and you have ideas. Now, can you please just quit it for a minute, you didn't even noticed that Roy and Riza are here. You too, boys!" Ree smiled meekly and looked down, she apologised after giggling a bit. The boys looked up, and Al greeted the visitors, while Ed just said stupidly "Hm? What?" Then looked up, and his face fell. "Oh. Hey Riza." He said stiffly, barely giving Roy a glance. Serena sighed, and said "Don't mind him, Roy, he's just grumpy cause he's….well, I dunno, he's just grouchy." Roy nodded but didn't move when Riza got a chair and sat next to Serena's bed, in front of him. He just walked up to her and stood next to her chair.

"Serena, I—" "Save it. I'm sorry about this morning. I'm sorry I reacted the way I did." Roy looked astounded. He wasn't expecting _her_ to apologise. She's usually not one to apologise first. '_Especially,_' Roy thought, '_when I'm pretty sure it was my fault anyway…isn't she upset that she's been landed in hospital? Come to think of it, why IS she in here?' _he looked up and she looked at him expectedly, apparently she had been watching him think. "What's wrong Roy?" she said, looking concerned. "Why are you in here? What's actually wrong?" Serena looked down, a small smile crept over her face and her eyes softened as her mind started to run away with her thoughts. She closed her eyes, trying to bring herself back to the present. She slid her arms across her stomach, and smiled wider, and warmly. She opened her mouth, about to tell them, when Kiree obviously couldn't bear it any longer, and blurted out loud, "She's pregnant!" Roy's jaw dropped, and Riza giggled, and did what Kiree had done, but in a motherly way, she started fussing over Serena, talking about the future, and planning all sorts of events. Serena drowned them out, and went back to her thoughts. The only thing she stayed aware of was Alphonse's warm grasp on her hand.


	7. Chapter 7

He had been there when she was a little girl, crying and screaming for them to leave her alone, he had rescued the tiny, scared little girl from the harsh military officers, bombarding her with questions, not sparing her a thought of sympathy. He picked her up, and yelled at them "Alright, ENOUGH! As you were, _**soldiers**_!" They scowled, and then said together "yes _sir_." as they went back to their posts. He took her back with him, made her stay in the car when he had to go talk to a supposed "famous and talented alchemist" living in a small town. He helped her hide in a blanket when the blonde lady scared her when she got in the car, and tucked her blanket closer when she fell asleep on the front seat.

When they got back to Eastern Command, he got her out of her timid shell and got her to tell him what happened, why she was there, anything he could get out of her. She told him that she lived in Posterim, but she got sick of her parents fighting. She got scared one night, and ran away, she ran onto a train, and stayed on for a while. When it stopped at New Optain, she could see guards all over the place, so she got back on and hid again. When it reached East City, she thought there were too many big people, and they scared her, so she stayed hidden. When it reached the last stop on the line, the conductor found her, and told her she had to get off. That's when she got off, and the two guards starting yelling at her.

He decided that she would stay with him, and when Riza saw him walking home, she ran up to him, and asked, "hey, Roy! Do you….I was wondering if I could stay over at your house tonight…"she blushed, then rushed to complete the sentence, "I mean, to help with the little girl!" Roy blinked in surprise, and then replied "uh y…yeah. Sure. Thanks." They walked out to the car, each holding one of her hands, "So, what's your name, dear?" Riza asked as she smiled at her. The girl said her name quietly, and Riza said "That's a lovely name." and continued to try and get the girl to talk, maybe make her less shy.

That night, Roy cooked soup for dinner, while Riza and the girl played hide and seek. But when she hid in Roy's room, and Riza couldn't find her, she came out, and had a flashback, to when she came out of her room and found her parent's killed. She ran out crying, and Roy and Riza immediately came to her aid, trying to calm her down, and convince her that everything was okay. When she stopped crying, Roy went back to dinner, while Riza tried again to have a conversation with the girl. At dinner, Roy spilled some down his front, and when he eating his bread, he dropped it in the soup, and it splashed up onto his face, he had it in his hair, on his nose, and over his eyes. The girl laughed until she almost cried, and Riza tried to suppress a giggle, when she got up and retrieved a napkin from the kitchen, for him to tidy himself up with.

Riza and Roy set up camp in the living room, and they played Castles for a while, building forts out of pillows, blankets, chairs and cushions for the couch. They fell asleep, the two adults next to each other, and the girl snuggled up next to Roy. The next day, they took her to work with them, and she had fun playing with the other adults in the building. "You aren't to leave this room unless one of the adults are with you, and they tell me where you're going, okay?"Roy asked her, speaking as nicely as he could. She nodded, and ran off to the back of the room to play with "the nice man with the glasses" as she called him until she knew his name. And even then, she called him 'Glasses man' as a joke.

She wondered why the others called him Fuery, and why people from outside the room call him Master Sergeant Fuery. "It's because they're grown-ups, so they talk like grown-ups," He said, then leaned closer and whispered while pointing at the door "and most of them from out there are mean, too." She giggled when he laughed, then she told him "bye for a while." Then ran off to find Havoc, who she deemed 'the tall blonde one.'

While she was preoccupied, Roy and Riza worked on finding her a home. Eventually, there came wind of a murder case, being handled by Investigations Office. Roy wasn't interested, until Maes found out that he was housing a little girl, and then he _made_ Roy listen. "It was an adult couple, married for a few years, and they lived in Posterim. The female, Alexandria McLaughlin, was murdered and the male, Jason McLaughlin, committed suicide, apparently he had schizophrenia, but it was dormant. He went out drinking one night and that set it off. He went home delusional that his wife had committed some grave crime against him, and snapped. He killed her. When he regained his senses, he shot himself. The neighbours heard it all, and got a first eye witness, followed him home from the bar to make sure he made it safely. Left just before all the chaos, said on the way he was raging on about his wife and what kind of wrong did he do to deserve such a devil." Maes explained, as if waiting for Roy to understand. Roy sighed, getting impatient, "What's this got to do with me, Hughes?" Maes took a deep breath, "They had a daughter, about eight, soon to turn nine, proclaimed missing by Posterim Officials." Roy nearly dropped the phone. "You don't mean…it's not…" "Yeah Roy, I'm sorry, but that's the girl you've been looking after."

After they had wrapped up the conversation, Roy went to Riza immediately, and explained what Maes had just told him. They asked the girl how old she was. "Eight. But in a few weeks, I turn nine!" their faces fell, and she looked down. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" "No, no, you're a good girl." Said Riza, and picked her up into a hug. She looked at Roy, hoping he would have some sort of answer, but he just looked back gravely. That afternoon at Roy's house, it was Riza's turn to cook dinner. She was in the kitchen, and Roy was at the table going through several folders of paperwork.

The girl came up to him and tugged on his sleeve. He looked at her and asked "what's wrong?" She stood on tip-toes, trying to see the paperwork, and asked, "Whatcha doing?" He sighed and sat her on a chair next to him. "Well…your parents…they're…" he paused, trying to figure out how to word it. "They're gone…I know…" she said sadly. "Then why's you tell us they were fighting and you left?"  
"I thought you'd try to take me back there, and I'd get in trouble." She looked down and played with the seam of her white nightgown that Roy had transmuted for her.

"We wouldn't do that." Said Riza, who was listening from the kitchen. "You asked what I'm doing?" said Roy. "I'm finding you a new home, with good new parents, who will look after you." She looked up, alarmed, "why can't I stay with you? You guys can be my new mom and dad! Please, I don't wanna leave you!" her eyes glistened with tears, and Riza came around the bench of the kitchen and knelt down in front of her. "We can't sweetie. We're too busy, and we're not allowed to, we're not a married couple. I'm sorry dear." She held the girl's hand, and squeezed it, smiling at her, trying not to upset her. "Well…if you guys can't be my mom and dad…I met a girl in the town where I met you. Can I go live with her? Her name's Kiree Torokay." Roy looked at Riza, and Roy went through his folders. He reached one that he was looking for and opened it. "You can't live with her, but you can live near her, in that town. There are few other children as well." "Okay…" she said, and then yawned. They all had dinner and went to bed, sleeping together in the living room again.

They sent word off to the family that they had a girl that needed a home, and the family replied that they would be delighted to have her, and would be in East City ASAP. The next day, there was a knock on Roy's office door. He opened it, and there stood a couple. They introduced themselves, the woman was Deleilah Mathews, and her husband was Stephen Mathews. They spent an hour or so talking and playing with the girl, and then they took her home.

They bid their farewells to each other at the train station. Roy and Riza were crouched down in front of her, "look after yourself, be a good girl, and write to me, okay? I packed our addresses in your bag, alright?" said Riza. When the girl nodded, she hugged her and stood up, talking to her new parents. Then it was Roy's turn. "I'm gonna miss you kiddo. You have fun, and promise you'll behave." She nodded again, and he held out his hand for her to shake, but she jumped into his arms instead. He hugged her back for a while, and then placed her down. Her eyes were glistening with tears again, and he wiped them away gently, and said "don't worry, it'll be okay. No more crying, you're a big girl now." She nodded yet again, and said shakily, "okay…"  
she boarded the train, and Roy and Riza waved, and watched her ride off, she waved for as long as she could, then started talking to her new parents. "I'm gonna miss her…" said Riza sadly. "Don't worry," said Roy, "I'm sure we'll see Serena again one day." He walked away with Riza at his side. She slipped her arm in his, and he smiled slightly…

Roy just stood there, trying to comprehend the even idea that the little girl he once knew, and pretty much adored, was a grown woman married for several years, had travelled almost a hundred countries, and was now going to have a child of her own. She looked at him, her eyes were kind, and she mouthed _thank you_. He stiffened, and stood up straighter, "I'm very happy for you." He said almost automatically, without thinking, and then walked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Riza walked out after him, confused, and alarmed. "Roy? What's going on?" he stuffed his hands in his pockets, and sighed. "It's nothing." and continued to walk away. She ran up behind him and caught him on the shoulder. "Roy, don't leave. Why don't you talk to her, alone for a while." He scoffed, "As if you could pry the rest from her." he said indignantly. "Just come back, please, you've upset her, she thinks she's done something wrong. You said you're happy for them, now prove it." He sighed and glared at the ground for a while, contemplating what to do. "Alright." he walked back, "Thank you." Said Riza softly, and she smiled gently at him, he followed her back to the room, still unsure about his decision. She opened the door, staying just outside of the room, "Ree, Ed, Al, why don't you come down to the cafeteria with me?"

Al looked at Riza then looked at Serena suggestively then looked back; trying to silently say 'I'm not leaving her.' She gave him a look, and flicked her eyes at Roy. Al nodded, and stood up and stretched. "C'mon Ree, Brother, let's go down and get something to eat." Ed just stood up and walked out of the room lankily, his hands in his pockets. He glared at Roy on the way out, and Ree whined, whinging about how she wasn't done talking yet, but Al just grabbed her arm and said "Ree. Please," he looked at her sternly, "come with us." She glanced between Riza, Al, and Serena. "Okay, jeez…" she yanked her arm out of Al's grasp, and walked out huffily. Al sighed, and walked out after her. He stuck his head back through the door and said "I love you Hime." and walked off again. Riza closed the door, and Serena was left alone. "O…Okay then…I'll just wait here…"she said to the door. She turned her head back around and stared at the bed; her face had a disturbed look, as she thought '_What the hell just happened here?" _

Roy walked in the door, his hands still in his pockets. "Is it just me…or did over half of the last five minutes consist of looks?" asked Serena, still confused. "Hmp." said Roy gruffly. "Roy, what's wrong, why'd you walk out? Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I did." He sighed again, flipped Riza's chair around, and sat on it backwards. "No, you didn't. Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay. Honestly, your upsetting me in the first place is what got me here. I think, if this morning hadn't have gone the way it did, I…well I _think_ it would have been worse off. I'm still sorry I said what I did. I overreacted." Roy looked at her as if she was making an understatement. "Serena, you flipped your lid!" he started chuckling as he was talking. Serena laughed, "Yeah, I know, I was there! Anyway, stop changing the subject! Why'd you leave?"

He looked out the window, it was just going autumn, and the leaves were starting to change, a few falling of every now and then. He watched the leaves chase each other through the air as a fair breeze rocked through the trees. A few of the same colour went past, and he thought they looked like Riza's eye colour. He brought himself back to reality, remembering that he was supposed to be answering a question. "It feels like only a few hours ago, I was waving goodbye to a little girl, on her way to her new home, with her new parents. Now you're here, so much has happened. Our first day, the Promise day, all the time in between, the years you had gone East with Alphonse, and Kiree and Fullmetal were gone West. I guess it just hit me hard, I don't even know why. And now this? Gate, it makes me tired just thinking about it." He landed his face in his hands, and rubbed it, trying to wake himself up.

"It makes YOU tired? Roy, you sat in your office for most of that time! We were the ones actually doing something!" she scoffed and murmured something about him being useless, which he failed to hear anyway. "Well it may have seemed that way, but I was doing just as much as you! You just didn't see it, which meant I was doing it right." He smiled smugly. "Yeah. Well the most tiring thing is yet to come. And you're lucky; you don't have to deal with it." He laughed at her, and she scolded him that it wasn't funny. "I'll help however much I can. But I guess that won't be much, I suppose you won't be coming to work for a while." She looked at him incredulously. "You're kidding me, right? I'm sick, not disabled, so why wouldn't I come?"

"Well for one thing, you're in the hospital, sick, and your other…condition." he looked awkward, and Serena laughed again. "That doesn't stop me from working! Not for a while!" Roy's face returned to its usual, commanding yet somewhat caring. "I hereby discharge you from work until I personally receive word from your doctor that you are fit for duty again." Serena bolted up and gaped at him, disbelieving. "Roy, what the hell?! I can still go to work, I just need to rest for a few days, there's no need to relieve me from duty!" he held firm, "knowing you, you'll be back there in the morning. I won't stand for it this time. I've put up with it before, but now it's different. I know you won't be harmed, but now there's someone who might." Serena sighed angrily, and flopped back down on her pillows.

"Serena, I know you're pissed at me, but I'm only trying to look after you. We love all you Elrics. Hell, I even admit, I'm kinda fond of Fullmetal. Riza and I will always think of you as our would-be daughter, and we both love you." He stood up, and walked closer to the bed. He ran his hand over her head, and rested it on top; he leant in and kissed the top of her head. He ruffled her bangs, picked up his coat from his seat and folded it over his arm. "Look after yourself. See you around, Kiddo." He turned to walk out the door, and just as he turned, several faces disappeared from the window in the door. He opened it, and paused when he saw them standing next to the door. He sighed yet again, shook his head and continued down the hallway, disappearing around the corner.


	9. Chapter 9

They all rushed in the door, not believing what they had just seen. Roy, with emotions? It was a sight to behold. Riza smiled, and said to Al, "I'm gonna catch up to him, and go back to HQ." Al nodded and went back to the bed. He lay down next to her, where he was before. "So, what did you guys do in the cafeteria?" asked Serena, still slightly blushing from Roy's rare show of affection. "Nothing much. We just talked for a while. Then we had some drinks. Riza had water, Brother and I had coffee, and Ree had soft drink." Said Al. Ed broke in, obviously bursting with questions. "Sis, he touched you, why didn't you hit him?! If it was me, I would've broken his damn arm! He put you in the freaking hospital; he deserves an ass-kicking from Teacher!" She just laughed at him, amused by his bluntness.

"Ed, this isn't his fault. He didn't put me here, being sick did. And I've known him longer than you guys. For the most part. He's really not as much of a complete prick as you think. In fact, he's the nicest man I have ever met." Al raised his eyebrows, not entirely believing her, Ree laughed, thinking she was joking, and Ed's mouth hung open in disbelief. "But…he's a Pyro bastard!" he yelled. Serena became enraged, and bolted upright again.

"Ed! He is **not**! You all know that I'm adopted, but why and how is something I haven't shared yet. All I really feel comfortable with saying, is that Roy and Riza took care of me for a while, after some stuff happened, and I couldn't stay at my house anymore. They're the ones who found me my parents; they even made sure they lived in Resembool, just because I asked! You have no idea what he's done for me, for all us, hell, for all of Amestris! So you have no right to judge him on the irrelevant, human-nature crimes he may or may not even have committed simply because you don't like him!"

Ed looked down, ashamed of what he had said. Serena swayed a bit, and fell back on her pillows. "Hime? What's wrong? Al said, feeling concerned. "It's nothing, I just sat up to quickly." He just nodded slightly. She took a few deep breaths, but it hitched in her throat and she fell into a coughing fit. Al rubbed her back, Ed looked at her worriedly, and Ree looked from her to Ed, alarmed. She coughed for the better part of the next two minutes. She gasped as her head spun, and ached from lack of oxygen. "I'm fine…" she said quietly once her head felt like it was on straight again. Trying not to worry them, she started up a conversation again, saying a few words to Ree about names, and she was off, babbling at a million miles an hour once again.

Serena actually tried to listen this time, but her thoughts had other ideas, her mind wandered again, then an alarming memory struck her. '_"It won't hurt the mother" is what he said…what he didn't say was…' _she gasped quietly, and her fists clenched grasping the blankets into her hands. Al saw her tense, and put a hand on her forearm. She looked up at him and whispered, "Al, can you bring the doctor back?"

He looked at her slightly puzzled, but the expression was soon lost, only to be replaced with an assenting one. He nodded and began to rise. She grasped his sleeve and whispered, "Don't let them know what you're doing." as she flicked her eyes towards Kiree and Edward. Ed was sufficiently unawares, his head rested on his shoulder as he napped, and Kiree was doing her usual, talking her head off, completely losing any consciousness of anything else around her unless it was talking to her. Al nodded a second time, and continued quietly climbing off the bed. Only a few feet from the door, Ree stopped talking to no-one and asked him, "Al, where are you going?" he froze, but then walked the rest of the way to the door. He paused with his hand on the handle, "I'm just going to the bathroom." Serena could tell he was lying, he was a terrible liar, and she thought he had been wise not to turn around; it would have given him away in an instant. But Ree didn't notice the falter in his voice, and once again went back to talking to Serena.

He closed the door behind him, and sighed, glad that he hadn't been caught. Not only would Serena be annoyed, but Ree would be over-curious, and ask a thousand questions. He walked coolly yet briskly to the front desk. Several winding halls with countless rows of door, each numbered into the three hundreds, three flights of stairs and a long bleach white corridor later, he made it to the main nurse's desk. "Excuse me ma'am, the doctor who was presiding over us, do you know where he is?" he asked politely. She picked up a clipboard and looked up at him. "Patient name?" she asked blankly. "Elric, Serena Elric." The nurse scanned each page, flipping it over when she didn't find what she was looking for. On the fourth page, she stopped, her finger trailed from one side of the paper to the next.

"Ah yes, Dr. Thompson." she placed down the clipboard and looked up at him once more. "He's with another patient right now, but he should be done in a few moments, if you are willing to wait, there are chairs over there." She pointed to the left of the counter, the direction he had come from. He inclined his head to her in thanks, and walked to the chairs and sat down. He found himself rather stiff. '_I guess it's from barely moving for most of the day' _he thought over that day's events, it had started out normal, all he expected to happen was the usual, sort out old case files, and if they were lucky, have something to investigate, probably something from Father's old plot. He had left bits of information here and there, and most of his equipment was taken for investigation, but if you wandered through what was left of the underground, you'd be bound to find something interesting.

But the rest of the day…it felt surreal. '_this feels like a dream, like when I walk I'm not really touching the ground, and that I'll just wake up at any moment, and this would have never happened. I mean really, none of this could have happened? Could it? But….I guess everything makes sense, sort of, everything fits, she's been kinda pale lately, and she' sleeping a lot more. But really, why now? We've been—'_

"Excuse me, Alphonse? I hear you're looking for me?" a gentle voice interrupted his chain of thought. A middle aged doctor stood before him clutching a clipboard-like almost every person in the hospital-wearing a long white button-down coat, and black steam-pressed pants, with shiny black shoes. His dark brown hair thinning, a few silver streaks running through it every now and then. He had cool, calm, and kind eyes, weary with years of experience and wisdom, yet bright with reassurance, hope and a certain love for his patients at the same time. "Yes Sir, My wife, Serena, she wanted to see you."

"is everything alright?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice, Al couldn't help but smile, Dr. Thompson had been their doctor ever since they moved to Central, when Ed was still only 12, and al was 11. Every time Ed got into a fight, or one of their little quadruple got hurt or sick, he made sure that he was the one to look after them, he was always fond of his patients, but the Elric lot he had known for the longest time, and they held a place in his heart, he always called them by name, and never just another patient. "I'm not sure sir, it looked like she was thinking, then she just stiffened, and when I asked what was wrong, she asked me to fetch you." He wanted to know what was going on, he was always curious, and Ed always said that it would be his decline one day, that he was too much like the cat. Al didn't really understand what he meant, but it concerned a cat, so he assumed it was good. The doctor nodded, as if he knew something Al didn't.

"Well, I suppose I'd better oblige the little lady, shouldn't I?" he smiled, gestured for Al to go first.


End file.
